barefooting, or minimalist shoes and plantar fasciitis?

[mntnmom]

  I've been reading about this lately. My husband has had PF for the last year. He's been trying to follow the doctor's advice, but it hurts LESS when he's barefoot than when he wears "good, supportive shoes". I'm not sure what I'm looking for. Does anyone else have experience in this area? 

[mbravebird]

Yes! My husband has foot issues and we recently discovered some alternative approaches. And yes, it makes a lot of sense that he feels better when barefoot -- the shoes are pushing his toes together, which in turn pulls the muscles in a weird way and causes a cascade of issues. Take a look at this device:

http://nwfootankle.com/home/toes

and the video on this page is really really informative:

http://nwfootankle.com/home/toes

and this article on PF is fabulous and explains the medical thinking behind the alternative treatment:

http://nwfootankle.com/home/FootHealth/drill/2/121

We haven't gotten my husband the toe-spreading device yet, but we've gotten him the wider shoes, which helps. We'll be getting the toe-spreading device soon, and I will let you know how it wears.

[Panserbjorne]

I wear the vibrams and LOVE them.

www.vibramfivefingers.com

Can't recommend them enough.

[isabchi]

I have many foot issues before I started  walking barefoot and wearing minimalist shoes(for short periods). I been barefoot for almost a decade. I can see my feet now, they're pain free and looks healthy and strong. My toes take years to kind of recover form the damage of the shoes, I don't think that I can recover from the malformation in 100 %, because I'll growht in shoes as everybody else. Thankfully my feet are way better and also, I see the change in my posture, and this a huge impact in my body. The posture is soo important in to many level for the body, including internal organs.

I second the recommedation the Vibram shoes fro PF because, they spread the toes. Be aware they're hard to wear at the beginning due the disconfort and pain to get use to have the toes spread. My husband is been using then after work at home for 20 mins, the 30 mins,...a little more every day. until he is now confortable to walk outside, even started to run on them..

There is also, some other brands of shoes...

Like Terra Plana...http://www.terraplana.com/uk/mens.html/